FC: German allows irony on the web after all, court rules

From: Declan McCullagh (declanat_private)
Date: Thu Jan 23 2003 - 00:04:52 PST

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    From: Vance Kochenderfer <vkochendat_private>
    Subject: Germany allows irony on the web
    To: declanat_private
    Date: Wed, 8 Jan 2003 15:43:22 -0700 (MST)
    
    Perhaps of interest to the Politech list.
    
        <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2639755.stm>
    
        Germany allows irony on the web
    
        A German court has cleared a man over the nature of comments about the
        11 September attacks he posted on the internet.
    
        Holger Voss was accused of "glorification of a criminal act" after
        appearing to praise the hijackers in comments he has insisted were
        meant sarcastically.
    
        He had written a final sentence at the foot of his remarks - posted
        last summer on the Telepolis message board - which he said had
        indicated that the sentiments expressed were not to be taken
        seriously.
    
    [...]
    
        Mr Voss had faced three years in jail if he had been found guilty of
        the charges.
    
        Critics say the fact that the case was brought before the court in the
        first place bodes ill for freedom of speech on the web.
    
    [...]
    
    
    
    
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